Anyone who thought the absence of quarterback Daniel Jones would lead to a poor performance by the Giants in Seattle got a rude awakening on Sunday afternoon.
Their defense limited the Seahawks to one touchdown and Alfred Morris scored twice in the second half to help the Giants to a 17-12 road win. The victory pushes their record to 5-7 and ensures they’ll end the week in first place in the NFC East. Should Washington lose on Monday night, they’ll be the only team in the division with five wins.
Jones was scratched due to a hamstring injury and it looked like his absence might be a killer when they failed to generate any points during the first half of the game. Wayne Gallman’s 60-yard run in the third quarter sparked some life in the offense, however, and Morris’ first touchdown put the Giants up 8-5. The Giants would stop the Seahawks on fourth down on the ensuing drive and Gallman got them in position for short touchdown pass to Morris.
Gallman ran 16 times for 135 yards and his work was invaluable as the Giants asked Colt McCoy to do as little as possible through the air. His touchdown pass to Morris was a highlight and he also threw for a couple of late first downs that helped leave the Seahawks with little time for a last ditch comeback.
That effort got them to midfield, but a Leonard Williams sack left Russell Wilson to heave a ball downfield on fourth down. It fell incomplete and the Giants had their win.
Williams had 2.5 sacks to continue a strong season and Wilson was sacked five times overall. Seattle ended the game with fourth-string right tackle Chad Wheeler in the lineup and he was overmatched along with many others up front for the Seahawks.
Wilson was 27-of-43 for 263 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. He also lost a fumble on a botched snap during a dismal outing for the entire offense.
The loss knocks them down to 8-4 and out of first place in the NFC West because the Rams beat them in their first meeting of the season. They’ll remain at home to host the Jets next week and try to bounce back from a disappointing Week 13.
On the other side, the Giants will move on to a home game against the reeling Cardinals. Sunday’s win makes it clear that they’ll be tough to beat whether Jones is on the field or not.